West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-07-07
REV, DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
subjcct-"Hunting for Souls"

TEXT; "Hc trdS a mighty hunter before
The LOrd.n-GeneSis, K o.
In our day, hunting is a sport; but in tho
lands and the times infested with wild beasts
IL was a matter of life or death with the peo-
pie. IL was very different from going out on
asunshlny afternoon with patent breech-
loader, TO shoot reed birds on the flats, when
Pollux and Achilles and Diomedes went out
20 clear the land OF lions and tigers and bears
My text sets forth Nimrol as a hero when il
presents him with broad shoulders and
shaggy apparel and sun-browned face and
arm punched with muscle-''a mighty hunter
before the Lord" | think he used the bow
and the arrow with great success practicing
archery.
have thought IL it is such grand thing
and such n brave thing 10 clear wild beasts
out Of country, II it is not better aud
Drawer thing 10 hunt down and destroy thoss
great evils of society that are stalking the
land with fierce eye and bloody paw and
sharp tusk and quick spring. / have won
dered If there is not such thing as Gospel
hunting, by which those who are flying from
the truth may be captured for God and heaven
The Lord Jesus in His sermon used the art OF
angling for an illustration when he said: ~
will make you fishers of men, And so |
think have authority for using hunting as
an Illustration of Gospel truth; and / pray
God that there may be many a man i'm this
congregation who shall begin TO study Gospel
archery, of whom it may, after a while, DO
said; He was a mighty hunter before the
Lord.
is done in the worldl How many good people
there are who drive souls away from Christ
instead OF bringing them 10 Him. religious
Dlunderers who upset more than they right
Their gun has n crooked barrel, and kicks rs
1t goes off. They are like clumsy comrade
who goes along with skilful hunters at
the very moment no ought TO be most
quiet no is cracking an alder or fall
away the game. How few Christian people
have ever learned the lesson OF which I read
at the beginning of the service how that tho
Lord Jesus Christ at the well went from talk
ing about cup of water to the most practi
cal religious truths, which won the woman's
soul Tor Godl Jesus in the wilderness was
breaking bread TO the people. L think it
was good bread: 1t was very light bread
and the yeast had done its work thoroughly
Christ, after he had broken the bread said to
the people: Beware of the yeast, or of the
leaven, of the Phariseesm So natural a trim
sltion II was; and how easily they all under
st0od nm! But how few Christian people
who understand how to fasten the truths of
God and religion TO the souls of menl Tru-
man Osborne one OF the evangelists who went
through tins country some years ago, had a
wonderful art in the right direction. He
came 10 fathers house one day. and while we
were all seated in the room he said: "Air.
Iaimage, are ali your children Christans{n
rather said: Yes, all but De Witt Then
Truman Osborne looked down into the fire.
place, and began to tell n story OF "A storm
that came on the mountains and all the sheen
were IN the fold; but there was one lamb out
side that persisted in the storm Had he
looked me IN the eye, | should have been an
gered when he told me tlInt story. but he
looked into the fireplace and il was so pa
thetcally and beautifully done that 1 never
found any peace until l was sure was inside
the Told, where the other sheep are.
The archcrs OF Old times studied their art
They were very precise in the matter The
books gave special directions as TO how the
archer should go and as 10 what an archer
should do. He must stand erect and firm his
LETT foot little in advance of his right With
his left hand he must take hold of the bow
In the middle, and then with the
three fingers and the thumb OF his
RICH hand he should lay hold of the arrow
and afhN II 10 the string-so precise was the
direction given But how clumsy we are
about religious work. How little skill and
care we exercised How often our arrows miss
the mark! Oh, that we might learn the art
oil uolng good and become mighty hunters
In the first place, IL you want TO he efre,tual
In DO NJ goo ,, you must be very sure o. your
weapon. here was something very fas-
eln9ting about the arch ry Of olden times.
Perhls you do not know whit they could
90 with the bow an arrow. Why he chief
battles fought by the English Plantag nets
were with tine long bow. III V would taie
the arrow Of polished wood, and fe lther it
with the plume of bird and then it would
ny from the bow-string Of plated silk The
broad fields Of AgincCurt and Soway Moss
ana Neyilles Cross, heard the loud thrum of
the archer bow-string. Now my Christian
friends, we have mghtier weapon than that
IL IS the arrow of the Gospel: il Is a shnrD ar
row; IT is a straight arrow: 10 is feathere1
from the wing Of the dove OF Gods spirit it Aies
from bow made out of the wood of the cross
AS Tar as can estimate or calculate IL has
brought down four hundred million souls
raul knew how 10 bring the notch OF that
arrow on 20 that bOw-string. and its ,ybirT
was heard through the Coruthan theatres,
anu throush tho courtroom until the
knees Of Felix knocked together IL
was that arrow that stuck in Luther's heart
When he cried ont. "Oh, my sinsl Oh. my
SINS IL 80 strl man in the head, il kills
ms sKepL .lsmi D. 10 strike him i'm the heel IL
VIII turn his step u 10 strike him i'm the heart
ne throws up his hands, as did one of old
when wounded in the battle. CRYING, "Ob
Galleani Thou hast con1ucredr
In the armory Of the Earl Of Pembroke.
are old corSaets which show that the arrow
of the English used TO 20 through the breast
plate, through the body Of the warrior. and
out through the backplate. What a symbol
81 that Gospel which is sharper than a two
fdged sword, piercing 10 the dividing asitn-
der OF soul aud body, and Of the Joints and
marrow! Would 10 God we had more faith
ln that Gospel, The humblest man i'm this
mouse, N be had enough faith in him, could
prlnB hu1red souls 20 Jesus-perhaTs five
huhdred just ma proportion as this age
SEEMS % believe less and less i'm IT, / believe
more and more in i'm 10! What ara
mon about that they viii no accept the own
delverancet There is nothing proposed by men
that can do anything like this GOSPEL Tho
religion OF Ralph W aldo Emerson was tho
philosophy ~ icicles. the religion OF Theo-
opre farker was sirOcco Of the desert. COW
ering up tue soul With dry sand the religion
OF heuau is the romance Of believing D0th-
ing the religion Of Thomas CARLYLE IS only a
CONDENSED London fog; the religion OF the
huNleys aud the 0peucers is merely a PEDESTAL
On which human philosophy SITE slivering Inn
tne 20 r 70 or the soul. lOysing up - the stars.
ohern5 NJ help @ the nations that crouch
anu gr. 90 the as. TIE ms VIII re there
ls one man who has re c..ed that GOSPEL fJr
an ther. Who Is thoroughly satisfied and
leip'li aud .0n'cltsl Bro DDS saeptIcism. aud
! VIII toae the car tomorrow and ride tive
huuorei miles o. ses him The fuII
power Of the Gospel has not set been toucbeI
As sportsman throws up his hand and
catches the bail flying through the air. inst
81 easily VIII this Gospel after a while latch
TINS round world flying from ifs orbit and
bring % back ~ the heart of Christ Give
10 fui swing and 10 viii rarlo,
every SIN, beat every wound cure every
trouble. cWaucp1te every slave. and ransom
every nation. ie Christian men and women
VINO go out This afternoon 10 DO Christian,
Wpfk, as you go into tho SUnday-scho0lg
ana inc l1y preaching stations and
tne Tfmtfnt1iies and the asyIums. T want
sou ~ ie.l That sou Dalr JIM your hand "a
"ealrn compared with which the lightning